Gone With The Wind... 

Sometimes we get so interested in earlier history of our families that we forget to record our present-day history. In July, Cranbrook, British Columbia was hit by a violent wind storm that ripped large trees from the ground and left people without electrical power for 8 days. My brother's property looked almost like a war zone.

This was sent to me by my brother Lloyd. "Here are Pictures of the Wind Storm that went through Cranbrook B.C. on Friday July 20th. It took two days to clean up the mess. The Pictures are of Reg Buchanan’s Place." http://www.flickr.com/photos/36430631@N04/ As you can see from the photo above, German metal was no match for BC Fir.

Departure from Ireland 

My cousin Darlene Perrett sent me a copy of the book "In Search of Buchanan from Anselan to President James Buchanan" written by Irene Martin, copyright 2011. I had hoped for evidence of a connection between the well-documented Ramelton Buchanans in Northern Ireland and my branch of the family, but found nothing tangible. Maybe it will prove useful later. One thing that struck me rather forcefully was the picture on page 108. The author included it because at the bottom it said Buchanan, Printer, but the date and place were what grabbed my attention! If this ship was in port in Derry from June 28 to July 13, there is a chance it was the ship that brought our Buchanans to Quebec, in any case there is an excellent chance that they saw it in Derry. The poster says:

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NOW IN PORT.

________

NOTICE TO PASSENGERS.

_______________

Those Persons who have taken their Passages by

the First Class Coppered Ship

SUPERIOR,

CAPTAIN MASON,

FOR QUEBEC,

Are required to be in Derry on Tuesday, 13th

JULY, Pay the remainder of their Passage Money,

and go on board, as the Vessel will sail first

fair wind after that date. A few more Passengers

will be taken, on moderate terms, if immediate

application is made to

MR. DAVID MITCHELL, Dungiven, or the Owners,

J.& J.COOKE,

Derry, June 28, 1847.

The Cargo of the SUPERIOR, just arrived, from

Philadelphia, consisting of Indian Corn, Indian

Meal, Flour, &c., for Sale, on moderate terms.

BUCHANAN, PRINTER."

Transcribed by Gordon Drummond
http://ied.dippam.ac.uk/records/24821

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We don't know when the Buchanan family first boarded ship, but we have a better time line later, so I will work backwards in time.

They traveled west from Kingston to Esquesing, Ontario, where they worked in the harvest: maybe September or October

Prior to this they spent a month in quarantine in Kingston: maybe September or October.
They spent 9 weeks crossing the Atlantic: maybe leaving Ireland in June or July and arriving in Canada about August or September 1847. The quarantine station at Quebec had overflowed, so passengers were being sent on to Kingston, Ontario.
The ship was refitted, I have seen no time period listed but I am guessing two weeks, in late May or early June.

They were out from port 10 days when the ship was damaged in a storm and returned to harbor (same harbor?) for refitting. If it took 10 days to get to the point where they turned around, it maybe took 10 days to return (they would have the wind in their favor now).

From this I would estimate their original departure to be around the beginning of May, 1847.

So there is an excellent chance that they saw the Superior prior to their second departure for Quebec, since Derry was the closest port to Drumquin. They lived on the rural townland of Binnawooda, near the village of Drumquin, County Tyrone, Ireland.